Posts Tagged ‘Seattle’

January has generally been a month of recovery after a December filled with Christmas music productions, too much sugar would make for some blues. This year I was determined to feel my best as I knew we were hitting the ground running as of the first of the year. I am happy that I was a good girl and kept the sugar to a minimum and it is paying off with energy as we begin our partnering project with World Vision.

Now home after 4 days in Seattle, WA speaking and having our eyes opened to the wide, HUGE impact World Vision has made over the last 60 years of it’s existence. I have read the book “Man of Vision” by Founder Bob Pierces’s daughter Marilee Pierce Dunker and I just have a taste of the breath and width of how far God has used this incredible organization. Denny and I are beyond honored to be asked to join in the efforts of making a difference in Africa, Ethiopia in particular. Water: What do you have if you don’t have clean drinking water. I’ll tell you. You have disease, hunger, devastation of community after community.

I used to wear a lapel button that simply said; 40,000 which stood for how many people die in a day from starvation. That number has dropped and drops every year thanks to the concentration of finding clean water for the communities most effected by water deprivation.

Our water project entitled “Liquidate for Living Water” uses the tools of Kingdom Assignment 2. Selling something of significance and giving the money to the poor. Denny and I have been in places of leadership in the church for over 40 years now and we know what church budgets look like. In one word “tight”. Having to depend on offerings there is not always money to expand to the other side of the globe when you are just trying to keep your head afloat in your own community. No surprise the economy has effected the giving in churches, but our God is a big God and He will keep making a way for all of us to serve the poor near and far. Jesus didn’t come to be served as a King might come to expect, but to serve.

This partnering project with World Vision is rolling out this way. Churches will not be expected to take one penny out of their own budget with this life changing event.

It’s simple:

Using the story of the Rich Young Ruler in Mark 10:17-22 ask your congregation to “Sell Something” over the following 45 days. We will help you with ideas how to do that in an easy and uniting way, bringing your church and community together.

We will help organize a celebration or a WELL DONE event and this will be fun.

The event will be three fold:

1. This is the opportunity to bring those that have sold something to contribute to this water project for Ethiopia.

2. We will bring celebrated Christian musicians to you making the potential for this to be a city wide outreach event in your church. We will use media to help you tell the stories of your congregants is a beautiful and moving way.

3. One more opportunity to make a difference and that will be the chance to embrace and support a World Vision sponsor child in Western Africa, where their future is dependent on clean drinking water. How can they learn the good news of Jesus Christ if their stomachs are growling so loud they can not hear.

My lapel button has changed and the number has gone up. Not 40,000, but 500,000. This is the amount of men, women and children that will be affected and have the opportunity for life giving water if we are successful in raising one million dollars toward this project. Think of what this could do over the next 100 years as generation after generation of children grow to healthy adults.

Would your church like to be involved? Just let us know at www.kingdomassignment.org or www.GoServeSomeone.org

Jessie and Marisa Butterworth did a great job leading worship for us when we spoke to the staff during chapel at the World Vision Offices in Seattle, WA…what a blessing to reunite. Marisa and our daughter Brooke were room mates at APU. Also… where they both met their great husbands Jessie and Darren